


Whumptober 2020 - No.23 What's A Whumpee Gotta Do To Get Some Sleep Around Here?

by Jakkuor



Series: Whumptober 2020 [23]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: local cat exhausted, needs a nap or 12
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:08:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27183607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jakkuor/pseuds/Jakkuor
Summary: me on day 8: i made up a dnd party but didnt put any effort into actually making them they just exist somewhere as background charactersme today while writing this piece: wait i Have a dnd party
Series: Whumptober 2020 [23]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948606
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Whumptober 2020 - No.23 What's A Whumpee Gotta Do To Get Some Sleep Around Here?

**Author's Note:**

> me on day 8: i made up a dnd party but didnt put any effort into actually making them they just exist somewhere as background characters
> 
> me today while writing this piece: wait i Have a dnd party

Kassandra stokes the fire a little, shifting the logs to make sure they’re going to stay lit. She’ll probably toss another log on before she wakes Hafnear for second watch, just so it keeps going all night. She sits down again, inhaling deeply; just the normal scents of the forest, nothing in particular that could be a danger to them. Safe, as long as she keeps her guard up.

Today’s been… interesting, to say the least. They took on a rescue mission in a nearby town - some poor lady had been captured and her family was worried sick. So the four of them went off to find her. They wound up saving her and a  _ lot  _ of others. Slavers had set up shop in an old abandoned keep and were ambushing travellers on the road. Xido & Co ended that business real quick. 

And then they found a kid. A young tabaxi girl was locked up in a cell separate from all the others, and she was in rough shape. She definitely wasn’t from the village, so Kassandra decided they would bring her home. The poor kid is beyond afraid of them, they hardly got her name out of her. Or anything, for that matter. She barely seems to want to speak.

The snap of a twig behind makes Kassandra’s ears perk up and she looks over her shoulder. Jakkuor is standing a short distance away, between her and the tent, the blanket draped over her like a cloak.

“Hey,” Kass says. She knows how intimidating she must seem to someone so small, so she keeps her tone soft. “Having trouble sleeping?”

The tabaxi nods, ears flattening against her head.

“You can come sit by the fire with me, if you want.” Kassandra pats the grass beside her.

Jakkuor approaches slowly and, as she steps into the firelight, Kass is again hit with how unwell she looks. If it weren’t for her fur, there would definitely be dark circles under her eyes. Her face is gaunt and she moves uneasily, as if walking is hard for her. Considering how little muscle she has, that isn’t surprising. The tabaxi sits just out of arm’s reach, her shivering starting to die down. She curls into a ball and clutches the blanket around herself tightly, staring at the fire. Her eyes are glassy and unfocused - she must be exhausted.

“You should try and get a little sleep. I know you’re probably really scared of all of us, but I promise it’s safe.”

Jakkuor looks up at her, and that haunted look in her eyes is like a hit to the chest. Someone took her - a  _ child  _ \- from her home and family and hurt her so much she’s afraid to even speak. She flinched when Hafnear  _ healed  _ her, for fuck’s sake. Who could do that to a kid? Kassandra’s glad they didn’t leave anyone alive in that keep. Whoever did this to Jakkuor got what they deserved. She’ll be safe once they can get her home.

“...But you don’t have to if you don’t feel comfortable.” Kass offers a smile, trying to be comforting. 

She doesn’t answer, just curls up a little tighter and returns her gaze to the flames.

They sit in silence for a while, and it occurs to Kassandra to ask if Jakkuor wants anything to eat - she barely touched dinner earlier - but when she looks to the tabaxi, she finds her asleep.  _ Good. She needs it. _

Kassandra lets her rest like that for a few hours before she decides it’s time to wake Hafnear for his watch. Her eyelids are starting to get heavy. The tiefling slowly drags himself out of his bedroll while Kass returns to the fire to scoop up Jakkuor and bring her back to the tent. She doesn’t stir, not even when Kassandra sets her down and tucks her in. 

After quietly removing her armor, Kass settles into her own bedroll, making sure to give the tabaxi plenty of space. Tomorrow they’ll see if they can coax her into telling them where she’s from. And they’ll get her home.


End file.
